


school days

by Pretzan



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-11-17 06:42:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11270109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pretzan/pseuds/Pretzan
Summary: Guanlin becomes unlikely friends with the nerd in his first period class.





	1. Chapter 1

Guanlin was gonna be late to his first period class—again. At this point, Guanlin would usually take his time since he really didn’t care about whatever Mr. Lee thought. He would come into class about halfway into the hour with a breakfast sandwich and juice, listen to Mr. Lee lecture for almost ten minutes about punctuality, and then catch up with the lesson. He learned quickly and had a solid A in the class, so Mr. Lee couldn’t lecture him on being lazy and not getting a good grade. 

Today, however, there was a test worth 40% of his grade. Guanlin knew that Mr. Lee was making their final worth so much just to spite him. He didn’t want to fail this class, as much as he hated it. He darted through the gates and down the halls, intent on making it through the classroom doors on time. Man, he knew he shouldn’t have made a stop at the bakery, but their sandwiches were like heaven on earth!

Guanlin’s plan was to run to class and make it a few minutes before first period started, until he turned the corner and ran full speed into someone, a poor boy who had a freshly copied stack of papers and a coffee in his hands. At their collision, Guanlin’s sandwich flew into the air while the papers flew all around the hall. Guanlin swore that time stopped when he locked eyes with the unfortunate soul he bumped into. 

“Oh no!” The other boy was knocked to the ground, and his coffee had spilled everywhere. Coffee had stained all the papers, the boy’s uniform shirt, and the hall. He was completely distressed, babbling about some test and how “he's going to kill me” as he collected the ruined papers.

“Hey,” Guanlin grabbed his wrist. The boy looked up at him with tears in his eyes. He looked like a kicked puppy, and Guanlin suddenly felt very maternal and protective of this boy. Even as miserable as he looked, the boy looked radiant, and, crap, his eyes even sparkled. Maybe his heart fluttered a bit when he pouted at him, but Guanlin would never admit to that. “You just got some copies right?” The boy nodded. “So we’ll just get one of the pages that aren't ruined and grab more copies, okay?” 

“Okay,” the boy sighed. Guanlin watched as he shakily stood up. “But I just need to find my glasses, Guanlin.”

“Ah, here they are,” Guanlin handed the boy his black framed, thick lensed glasses and accompanied him to the copy room. 

\---  
Guanlin watched, bored, as they waited for the copy machine to finish printing out the copies. With the glasses on, Guanlin found that the boy looked like a bookish nerd who was a bit awkward in his skin. For some reason, he felt a bit disappointed. The boy kept messing with his shirt, to try to get the coffee stains out. He was using wet tissues that only spread the glaring stains. Guanlin watched him struggle for almost ten minutes before he got fed up.

“Stop,” Guanlin stopped glasses boy. The boy looked up at him with wide eyes, eyes that went wider when Guanlin started to unbutton his own shirt. 

“What-what are you doing? Why are you undressing?” The boy looked scandalized. 

“You aren’t going to get those stains out. Just take my shirt.” Guanlin was left with a white undershirt, but this wouldn’t be the first time he broke the uniform code anyway. 

“I can’t-”

“I was the one who got the stains on your shirt in the first place. This is my apology. Just take it.” Guanlin pushed the shirt into his hands, not one to take no for an answer. He did feel bad for basically making this guy have a bad start to his day. 

“Ah, okay…” He held the shirt for a moment before giving a tentative smile. “Just don’t look when I’m changing, okay?”

“Sure,” Guanlin chuckled as he turned away. This guy was so childish. 

At that moment, the first bell rang. _Ah_ , Guanlin thought. _I’m dead._

“Guanlin, you aren’t dead!” The boy smiled. “I’ll talk with Mr. Lee for you!” Guanlin narrowed his eyes at his response. The boy’s smile faded.

“Okay, this has been bothering me,” Guanlin started. “First, you know my name, and now you know that I have Mr. Lee for my first class? How do you even know that? Are you some sort of stalker or something?” 

The boy was shocked for a moment before he broke out into laughter. 

“Haha, a stalker?” Seonho wiped a tear away. “Guanlin, I’m Mr. Lee’s TA. I’ve been in that first period class with you for months now. I’ve even graded your papers before! How can you call me a stalker?” 

Now that he mentioned it, the boy did look kind of familiar. Maybe it was his crooked glasses. 

“I never really paid attention in that class,” Guanlin blurted out. 

“I know,” he nodded. “I can tell by how often you're late.”

“Um,” Guanlin sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Can we start over?”

“Sure. Hello stranger.”

“My name is Guanlin,” he raised his hand for a shake.

“I’m Seonho! Nice to meet you, Guanlin!” Seonho shook his hand enthusiastically. 

Man, this guy was so cheery. Even when Guanlin awkwardly didn’t remember him, Seonho acted like they were old friends. He had never met anyone as bright as him before. 

Just then, the copy machine in front of them suddenly made a crunching sound. Both of them looked at the machine as it started to shake for a moment before promptly dying. 

“Well, Guanlin, you aren’t the only one who’s dead now,” Seonho chuckled. Even Guanlin could tell that Seonho was only trying to cover up how screwed the both of them were. 

\---  
Guanlin sat with the basketball team during lunch, as he always did. They were rowdy and fun, and they lived by the infamous saying “Ball is Life.”

“Where’s Insoo?” Guanlin asked when he sat in his usual spot, squished between Dongho and Yongguk.

“He got in trouble with Ms. Kim,” Gunmin answered. 

“Ah, she’s scary,” Guanlin nodded. Guanlin noticed Dongho straighten up from the corner of his eye, and he internally readied himself for another round of Dongho’s questioning. 

“So, Guanlin,” Dongho started. “Word went around that you crashed into Seonho in the morning.”

“Who’s Seonho?” Sangbin asked, about to down another slice of pizza. 

“Seonho? That guy with the nerdy glasses? The one that always looks clueless all the time?” Gunmin suggested. 

“Ahhhh, the one who TAs for Lee during 1st?” Sangbin replied.

“Yeah,” Gunmin nodded.

“Guanlin, you slammed into him in the morning? Too bad I wasn't there to record it, haha!” Sangbin laughed.

“Did that actually happen?” Gunmin prodded Guanlin for an answer.

“Yeah. I ran into Seonho when I was going to Mr. Lee’s class,” Guanlin replied as he bit into his sandwich.

“Speaking of Mr. Lee, how was his final?” Dongho raised an eyebrow. He was the one who always wanted updates on Guanlin’s grades, even though Guanlin always got stellar marks.

“Didn’t take it,” Guanlin mumbled into his lunch. 

“Why not?”

“Seonho was making copies of the test, and when I bumped into him, coffee got all over the papers. Then, when we went to make more copies, the copy machine broke. We came back to class 10 minutes late, without any copies, and Mr. Lee was forced to move the test to tomorrow.” 

“Are you okay, though?” Dongho asked. He was always protective with Guanlin, like the big brother Guanlin never had. 

“Yeah, I'm fine. I guess today was my lucky day since I accidentally pushed the test to tomorrow.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Sangbin snickered. “You’re telling me that you made Mr. Lee postpone your final by _accident?_ You didn't bump into that Seonho kid on purpose?”

“I didn’t mean to! And I got coffee all over Seonho too…”

“Well, it wasn't all bad that you _did_ bump into him right? Since you guys were late, you got an extra day to study,” Gunmin smiled. 

__

“I guess,” Guanlin chewed on his sandwich. “I still feel bad, though.” 

“You gave him your shirt, though. I think that's a good enough apology.” Gunmin bit into his hamburger. “Don't think so hard about it.” 

“Yeah, I did give him my shirt-wait how did you know that I gave him my shirt?” Guanlin narrowed his eyes at Gunmin suspiciously. 

“I have my ways,” Gunmin gave his signature eye smile, but Guanlin knew that was a ruse. The basketball team knew that Gunmin looked like a smiling angel but could turn into a devil in any moment. His feints and passes were unstoppable on the court because of his dual personality. 

“Gunmin is saying that he has Physics with Seonho, and Seonho asked him when your free period was so he can return your shirt,” Yongguk interjected. 

“Hey, I was trying to be the cool, mysterious hyung for once!” Gunmin playfully hit Yongguk. 

“Anyways,” Yongguk turned back to Guanlin. “Seonho was acting really cute when he was asking about you. If I didn't know the situation, I'd say he has a little crush on you.” 

“Uh, I dunno about that,” Guanlin sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, trying to ignore the slow spread of warmth on his face. “I totally didn't recognize that he TA’ed for my first, so I might have…” 

“Have what?” His hyungs asked. 

“...have called him a stalker?” Guanlin winced. As expected, Sangbin burst into peals of laughter.

“This is the best thing I've heard all week!” Sangbin leaned into Gunmin. 

“It's Monday,” Dongho deadpanned. “The week just started.”

“Anyways,” Gunmin turned to Guanlin with sharp eyes. “You better tell us all about Seonho. Guanlin is getting a cute little boyfriend, isn't he? Don't they just grow up so fast?” Gunmin giggled.

“ _Please_ ,” Guanlin whined and buried his head in his arms. The image of Seonho looking up at him, with his pink lips pouted and eyes twinkling was burned in the back of his mind. His cheeks were burning, and he didn't know why. Well, he might, but if he acknowledged that then he would have to acknowledge why his heart was beating so fast too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh i miss the cube twins so much already!!! anyways, plz comment! i love all feedback <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the purpose of this fic, everyone between '99 and '01 are sophomores (Jihoon, Baejin, Daehwi, Guanlin, etc.) while Seonho and Samuel are freshmen. :)

“Can’t stop thinking about your boyfriend?” Daehwi asked. Guanlin promptly tripped and missed another shot. 

During his free period, Guanlin would go to the school gym to practice basketball. As he was one of the few sophomores on the team, Guanlin worked twice as hard to make sure he didn’t bring his team down. Daehwi was also in the team, though not a permanent member. The whole “Avengers” squad had joined basketball this year, though Guanlin thinks Daehwi only joined because of Samuel.

Anyways, Guanlin’s missed pretty much every single basket he’s attempted to shoot since his free period started. Daehwi was obviously not helping with the way he kept intently staring at Guanlin and his unsteady hands. 

“What boyfriend?” Guanlin scowled at Daehwi. 

“Isn’t it obvious who I’m talking about?” Daehwi held the basketball in his arms and started circling Guanlin in a way very reminiscent of piranhas or sharks. Even though Daehwi was about a foot shorter than he was, Guanlin certainly felt threatened. 

“Nope, no one comes to mind,” Guanlin lied through his teeth. Daehwi stepped dangerously close, eyes twinkling.

“Don’t tell me that you aren’t thinking about Seonho?” Daehwi whispered. 

“S-seonho?” _Crap_. Guanlin only stuttered when he was nervous, and Daehwi certainly noticed. 

“You haven’t been concentrating,” Daehwi pointed out. “You’re the team’s shooting guard. You can throw three pointers in your sleep. Yet, today…” Daehwi stepped back, eyeing Guanlin up and down. He rested his eyes on the ball in Guanlin’s shaking hands. 

“I’m just—it’s just that,” Guanlin stammered. 

“Guanlin, don’t worry, I absolutely ship you two!” Daehwi squealed and hugged Guanlin. “And you being so nervous must mean that you must _totally_ have a crush on Seonho!” 

“I—I never said that I had a crush on Seonho!” Guanlin struggled to get out of Daehwi’s iron grip. 

“But you aren’t denying it~” Daehwi giggled. 

“Where did you even hear that from?” Guanlin broke free from Daehwi’s suffocating hug and tried to make another shot. He missed again. 

“Well, everyone knows about you guys ‘bumping’ into each other yesterday,” Daehwi went to grab the ball. “And then I heard from Haknyeon who heard from Hyunbin who heard from Kenta who heard from Yongguk that you were acting all shy when they were teasing you during lunch yesterday!” 

“More like bullying me,” Guanlin muttered and took the ball from Daehwi. 

“Hey,” Daehwi grabbed Guanlin’s arm. “Don’t take this Seonho thing too personally. You know that we’re just trying to help you. You’ve been down ever since the team lost last season. The team just isn’t the same without their star player, you know?” Daehwi smiled, but Guanlin brushed Daehwi’s arm away. 

“I’m no star player,” Guanlin looked down at the basketball in his hands. “We both know that. You were there at the last game when I royally screwed up.”

“Guanlin—” 

“Just leave me alone, Daehwi,” Guanlin sighed. Daehwi stared at Guanlin’s back for a moment before turning. 

“If that’s what you want, Guanlin, I’ll leave you alone.” 

Guanlin dribbled the ball and was about to shoot when Daehwi spoke again. 

“I just hope that you take this opportunity to find some happiness in your life,” Daehwi said and left the gym. Guanlin waited until the heavy gym doors closed before collapsing onto the ground. 

Guanlin groaned and put his head in his hands. He felt so horrible, so out of his league. Not only did he have worries about his basketball skills, but all day yesterday, Guanlin couldn’t stop thinking about Seonho. His thoughts were filled with the other boy when he wasn’t around. Guanlin thought that these kind of things only happened in the movies or in love stories. Yet, here he was, nervous and shaking because he was so apprehensive to see Seonho again. 

Guanlin laid on the gym floor, covering his eyes with one arm as he kept trying to imagine how the scene today would go. Would Seonho be nervous as he handed him his uniform shirt? Would he give Guanlin that shy little smile where he pursed his lips just a bit? And would Guanlin be nervous too? Oh man, Guanlin’s hands were already shaking just from thinking about Seonho. He was one of the reason’s why Guanlin couldn’t shoot any baskets today, besides the whole thing about losing their last game. 

Guanlin’s thoughts were interrupted by the gym doors opening. 

“Daehwi,” Guanlin groaned. “I’m not up to hearing another one of your talks.” 

“Then it’s a good thing I’m not Daehwi,” Seonho chirped. Guanlin sat up, and there Seonho was, looking like some kind of an angel in front of him. 

“Yes, you aren’t Daehwi,” Guanlin breathlessly replied. 

“Sorry, Guanlin, were you practicing? Did I interrupt?” Seonho smiled nervously. 

“No, no, I was just taking a break, that’s all.” Guanlin patted the floor next to him. Seonho sat down next to him and eyed his sweaty figure. 

“You must really love basketball, huh?” Seonho asked. Gosh, he was so cute. Even the way he spoke was cute.

“Well, I try my best,” Guanlin shrugged.

“What’s your position?” Seonho asked.

“Shooting guard.”

“Wow, you must be great at making shots, huh?” Seonho tilted his head to the side cutely.

“Well, not really,” Guanlin admitted. “Ever since our last game, I haven’t been doing so well.”

“Your last game?” Seonho’s eyebrows furrowed. “I haven’t seen the basketball team play a game yet this year.”

“Our last game happened last year. I was the only freshman on the team back then. We made it to the finals.” Guanlin remembers that game like it was yesterday. It felt like magic at the time, to have gone so far.

“Wow, that must have been amazing. To be in a team that made it to the finals as a freshman? You must be a superstar!” Seonho spoke with such pure joy in his eyes that Guanlin hesitated to refute him. There aren’t very many people in the world who still have that childlike purity in them.

“No,” Guanlin hung his head. “I made our team lose.” 

“Lose? What do you mean by that?”

“I missed so many shots and passes in the last game. They were easy shots too. I could’ve made all of them. And the ball was in my hands in the last minute too, and I missed that last shot.” 

Guanlin didn’t know why he was suddenly spilling all of his worries onto Seonho. Hell, he just met the guy yesterday after all. But some gut feeling told Guanlin that Seonho wasn’t a bad person. Seonho felt...nice. He felt warm and friendly and sweet. And he certainly was warm, or at least, his hands were, because Seonho had suddenly clasped both of Guanlin’s hands into his. 

“Guanlin, you can’t beat yourself up just from _one_ game. Everyone has probably told you this already, but everyone has bad days sometimes. Just think of what you’ve already accomplished and what you can accomplish in the future. Don’t let one mistake ruin you. You have so much potential and so much talent. You can’t let that all go to waste.” 

Seonho had rambled on passionately, and he was breathing hard when he was finished. Seonho had made intense eye contact with Guanlin the whole time, all while holding Guanlin’s hands. They stared at each other for a long moment before Guanlin broke the eye contact. 

“Um, is that my uniform shirt?” Guanlin pointed at the bag next to Seonho. 

“Oh, yeah, here it is!” Seonho beamed as he passed the bag to Guanlin. “I washed it and everything. Look inside too!” Seonho had passed one of those obnoxiously glittery Christmas bags, and he had even put his uniform shirt inside with tissue paper. Guanlin looked inside the bag and pulled something out curiously. 

“What are these?” Guanlin looked at what was in his hands. It looked like some snack food.

“It says right there on the cover! Dried mangoes! They’re my favorite!” Guanlin raised an eyebrow and looked at Seonho. 

“You’re sharing your favorite snack with me? Why don’t you just keep it for yourself?” 

“Because hyung is special to me,” Seonho leaned in and giggled. Wow. That sentence, that giggle, the way that Seonho’s glasses hung crookedly on his face....Guanlin’s heart ached. Seonho really knew how to shoot him through the heart, and he did it completely unconsciously. 

Guanlin shook his head to clear his thoughts. He opened the bag of dried mangoes and offered some to Seonho. Guanlin took one and bit into it as well. Guanlin was lowkey watching Seonho as he ate, and Seonho ate like a hamster. Seonho ate like a _cute_ hamster. Before Guanlin met Seonho, he had never used the word cute so often, but no other word matched him so well. 

The bell rang at that moment, signalling a warning for the end of the period. 

“Oh no!” Seonho jumped to his feet. “I have to get to Physics, and it’s on the other end of the school! Ahhhh!” Seonho ran for the exit before Guanlin could react. 

“Seonho!” Guanlin called, right before Seonho dashed out of the gym. “Thanks for the mangoes! I’ll pay you back for them!” 

“I’ll be looking forward to it, Guanlinnie-hyung~” Seonho said and ran out. 

Guanlin stayed on the floor of the gym for a bit longer, musing over their interaction. His hands weren’t shaking anymore, and their conversation went differently than what Guanlin could have imagined. Seonho was unpredictable. 

Guanlin scooped up the basketball beside him. He dribbled a bit and walked to the 3 pointer line, eyeing the basketball hoop. Guanlin knew how to shoot by reflex, but he had been hesitating lately from his fear of losing. Guanlin took deep breaths and closed his eyes, thinking of Seonho’s words. He jumped and the ball left his hands. Guanlin opened his eyes and looked up just as the ball slid cleanly through the hoop. No rim. 

Guanlin smirked. He looked down at the bag of dried mangoes and popped one in his mouth. _Finding happiness, huh?_ Maybe he should take Daehwi’s advice more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for all the lovely comments~ i would love to hear any ideas that you have for this fic!  
> would you also like to see more from seonho's pov, or should we just stick with our lovely guanlinnie who keeps denying his love for cutie seonho?


	3. Chapter 3

Guanlin eats lunch with the basketball team today, even though he can feel Daehwi glare daggers into the back of his head. Daehwi had asked him to eat lunch with their Avengers Squad, but Guanlin had wanted to talk to Sangbin about practice. Daehwi had pouted and said that Guanlin _has_ to eat with them tomorrow. Guanlin had reluctantly agreed, because he still is a bit afraid of him. 

“Sangbin-hyung, I'm going to have to miss practice today,” Guanlin said during lunch.

“You? You never miss practice,” Sangbin even put down his pizza to look at Guanlin curiously. 

“Well, Mr. Lee is giving us a lot of work this week, so I'm going to be working on it all day today so I can focus on our game on Friday.” 

“Sounds like a good idea,” Sangbin nodded. “Oh, and Guanlin?” 

“Yes, hyung?” 

“I've noticed how you've been getting better lately,” Sangbin patted Guanlin’s shoulder. “Keep up the good work.” 

Sangbin was the captain of the basketball team this year, and Guanlin felt like he fit the role. Even as teasing and loud as he was, Sangbin took great care of the team. Sangbin knew how hard Guanlin took their loss last year more than anyone else (except maybe Dongho).

“And who knows, your basketball skills might even sweep Seonho off his feet!” Sangbin laughed. 

Scratch that, Sangbin was a horrible hyung. 

“When are you guys going to let that go?” Guanlin whined. “It's been, like, a week since that incident!” 

“We’ll stop teasing you when you stop talking about Seonho with stars in your eyes!” Gunmin cheekily said. 

“I don't get stars in my eyes!” 

“Guanlin,” Yongguk shook his head. “You should see the look on your face whenever you talk about Seonho. _He’s so cute. Even when he’s grading papers, he’s cute._ ” 

“I never said that,” Guanlin pouted. 

"Don't worry, your thoughts are obvious," Yongguk laughed.

“You know, you haven't been late in a week,” Dongho pointed out. “Is it because you don't want to miss your first period? Or is it the _TA_ you look forward to seeing?” The table erupted into laughter as Guanlin put his head into his hands. 

“No, Dongho-hyung, not you too!” 

“I'm sorry, Guanlin, but it's just too easy to tease you,” Dongho smiled. “Besides, I think we all agree that we like Seonho.” 

“How do you guys even know Seonho? Aren’t all you seniors too cool to be hanging out with some freshman like him?” 

“The better question is: Who doesn't know Seonho?” Yongguk laughed. “He's the most popular freshman at our school. Well, he's the only freshman I know.” 

“Yongguk, Samuel is a freshman that's on the basketball team too,” Dongho dryly responded. 

“Oh yeah, huh. I always thought he was a sophomore since all his friends are sophomores. Aren’t they in some kind of squad?” 

“Anyways, Seonho is friends with everyone.” Gunmin directed attention away from Yongguk.

“Everyone?” Guanlin skeptically asked.

“Yeah, you haven’t noticed?” Gunmin replied. 

“I just thought he was friendly with a lot of people,” Guanlin said. He munched on his hamburger, mulling over what he just said.

“Well, won’t you look at that. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.” Yongguk motioned his head towards the figure that was heading to their table. 

“Guanlinnie-hyung~ I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” 

Guanlin turned just in time to get crushed by one of Seonho’s bear hugs. Seonho had thrown his arms around Guanlin’s neck, and Guanlin loosely wrapped his arms around Seonho’s waist. Guanlin’s voice was slightly muffled by Seonho’s shoulder.

“Yes, I missed you too,” Guanlin sighed. Seonho detached himself from Guanlin. Seonho proceeds to give everyone at the table a hug (even a very reluctant Yongguk, much to everyone’s delight). 

“Seonho, sit with us,” Dongho motioned at the empty seat next to Guanlin. “Insoo is still in trouble with Ms. Kim for who knows what. 

“Oh no, I was just going to give this to Guanlin-hyung!” Seonho puts his backpack on the table and rummages through it. Guanlin wonders how Seonho can keep up with his studies when he’s such a mess. Maybe there was a method to his madness. 

“Here!” Seonho produces a familiar pencil case (it has a pink camo pattern like a pair of pants Guanlin is fond of). 

“Ah,” Guanlin smiles as Seonho hands the case to him. Their fingers brush, and Guanlin tries not to blush. “I was looking for this.” 

“Oh, look at that, there’s the gummy smile that’s coming out,” Gunmin snickers. 

“Why are you making fun of Guanlin’s smile?” Seonho tilts his head to the side. 

“Ah, you'll find out soon enough,” Gunmin smirks at Guanlin.  
\---

Guanlin stops by his favorite bakery after school. 

In the mornings, he would always go here for one of their sandwiches or bread and a juice for breakfast since he always runs late. He hasn’t gone here in almost a week. Mainly it was because he wanted to see Seonho before first period began. 

Seonho opens up Mr. Lee’s class 30 minutes before first period starts. He sits in the front of the class next to the window as he helps Mr. Lee finish grading papers. Two days after Guanlin got his shirt from Seonho, Guanlin goes to class early. Seonho said Guanlin could pay him back for the mangoes by keeping him company before class starts. Seonho had meant for just one time, but Guanlin finds himself going early more often than not. 

Time feels slow during the mornings Guanlin has with Seonho. Instead of the loud bustle of class or lunch, there is only the chirping of the birds filling the silence. Guanlin sits next to Seonho, rests his head on his arms, and watches him shuffle through packets of papers. His fingers are stained with pen marks, and Seonho always has some writing utensil poking out of one of his ears. Guanlin silently observes Seonho and absorbs it all. Seonho doesn't say anything about the way Guanlin intently looks at him. 

Guanlin watches Seonho as he stares out the front window, the rays of early sunlight striking his face through the blinds in a way reminiscent of vividly detailed oil paintings that hang in museums. He looks like a precious work of art. Guanlin thinks Seonho looks softer like this, somehow, when he's slightly drowsy and his glasses are sliding down his nose.

Seonho would initiate conversation in a quiet voice even though it's only the two of them in the room. He asks Guanlin about his day yesterday, about practice, or about class. Sometimes, Seonho would just talk and talk, and Guanlin would listen. Guanlin learns a lot about Seonho. He learns about his younger brother and his dog. Seonho talks a lot about food. Seonho tells Guanlin of a new recipe he’s trying out, since he’s trying to cook and bake more food. He’s been trying to make the perfect beignets, whatever those are.

Guanlin thinks about Seonho’s beignets when he walks into the bakery that day. The bakery is more of a cafe, though Guanlin has never actually stayed here for any longer than a few minutes before. He looks at the glass at the display filled with different pastries and breads. What a coincidence, Guanlin thinks, that this bakery also serves beignets. They're some kind of bread covered in sugar. _Of course Seonho would try to make something so disgustingly sweet._

Guanlin decides to order one so he can eat it while working on his work for Mr. Lee. 

“Can I get a beignet and a caramel latte please?” Guanlin asks the cashier who wears a nametag that says Minhyun on it.

“Just one beignet? You'll be tempted to get more,” Minhyun smiles.

“I'll get two,” Guanlin shrugs and pays for them. He finds a table by the window and pulls out his laptop. He internally groans at why he has to work instead of practicing and having fun with the basketball team, but this was for the best anyway. 

Minhyun delivers his beignets and latte in a few minutes. 

“I'm surprised you ordered the beignets. They aren't a very popular item.”

“A friend of mine was trying to learn how to bake them,” Guanlin tells Minhyun. “So I was curious to try them.” 

“Say, you go to the school down the street, right?” 

“Yeah, I do.” Guanlin says before he bites into one beignets. 

“The person who cooks the beignets also goes to your school. Do you know Yoo Seonho?” 

Guanlin thinks about how the beignet he is eating is warm and sweet (like a certain someone). He thinks about the conversation that he had with the basketball team earlier that day. 

“Who doesn't know Yoo Seonho?” Guanlin smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for all the support~!  
> leave a comment if you enjoyed! maybe the next chapter will come out quicker hehe


	4. Chapter 4

Guanlin really doesn't like winter in Korea. It gets to the point where Guanlin almost starts to miss the stuffy humidity of Taiwan. The worst part was the snow and the cold and both together at the same time. Guanlin wakes up horrifically early and trudges to school, only to be met with a freezing room. Mr. Lee doesn't understand the concept of a heater for some reason. Guanlin is certain that it must be against federal law to freeze students to death. 

The warmest part of first period is probably Seonho’s smile and the blankets that he keeps hidden in the back of the room. 

“I’m pretty sure that it’s warmer outside than it is in here,” Guanlin complains for the upteenth time that morning. Seonho, who’s half listening to Guanlin, nods as he grades more papers. He is leaning heavily against Guanlin’s side, and Guanlin would never admit that they are, in fact, cuddling underneath the blankets wrapped around them. 

‘We’re just sharing warmth,’ Guanlin justifies to the little voice in his head. That voice is also the one that tells Guanlin that Seonho’s red nose and cheeks are the cutest thing in the world, but that is also something that Guanlin will take to the grave rather than admit.

Guanlin is holding the thermos that Seonho has been bringing for the past few days in one hand. Seonho puts hot chocolate in it, and the heat emanating from it is one of the only things keeping Guanlin sane in the cold of the morning. Guanlin’s other hand is entwined with Seonho’s. Seonho says that he keeps forgetting to bring gloves, so this was the best way to keep them warm. Guanlin’s heart doesn’t try to beat out of his chest anymore when he’s around Seonho, but their interlocked fingers warms a part of him. Guanlin can admit to himself that he likes this, he really does. And that’s the only thing making Guanlin not miss the stuffy humidity of Taiwan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter! i just wanted to update this fic so u guys know that i'm still writing lol. i've just been busy with college stuff :-)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, there's more winter scenes hehe

Guanlin usually doesn’t brave the cold for anything. During winter break, he usually just sits at home, drinking hot tea, and then joining his family for an obligatory Christmas dinner. Guanlin very much likes being in comfortable temperatures, thank you very much.

That night, though, he is outside in the winter, waiting by the bakery. There are snowmen lined up on the street, like in one of those movies that romanticise Christmas. The city is certainly in the Christmas spirit, with all the colorful lights and jolly music blasting. Next to Guanlin is a tree decorated with twinkling lights, flashing in rainbow colors. There is even a little plastic chick hanging off of one of the branches.

The bakery’s door chimes when Seonho rushes out. His scarf is barely around his neck and none of the buttons on his jacket are done. Guanlin almost ignores all of this because Seonho’s eyes sparkle in a way that rivals the decorated Christmas tree that’s next to him. Seonho always smiles at Guanlin like he's the best thing in the world whenever he sees him. His eyes scrunch up and his cheeks get even more full. The sight of a happy Seonho makes Guanlin feel tender. 

Seonho hugs Guanlin, or attempts to since both of them are wearing heavily padded jackets. His arms are flung around Guanlin’s shoulders, pulling him in as tight as he can. Guanlin mockingly shakes his head and starts to button up Seonho’s jacket.

“You aren't wearing gloves again,” Guanlin pesters, pulling away to wrap Seonho’s scarf properly. “You’re going to get frostbite.” Seonho grabs Guanlin’s hands.

“But Guanlin-hyung, you aren’t wearing any either!” Seonho pouts up at Guanlin. Seonho’s hands are still warm from the bakery, but Guanlin’s are cold from the outside. Guanlin unconsciously threads their fingers together. Seonho leans forward. “Don’t scold me when you don’t have gloves on either.”

Guanlin turns away, breaking their eye contact. Seonho can be overwhelming. His hands are very warm and his eyes are very bright and his pouting face was just so close. Guanlin can count the moles next to Seonho’s lips. Seonho’s lips are as pink as his nose. He smells like sugar and warm bread.

When Guanlin looks at Seonho again, Seonho is looking at the sky. 

“It's snowing!” Seonho lets go of one hand to cup the falling snow.

“It snows every year, Seonho,” Guanlin absentmindedly replies. Seonho looks at Guanlin, with snow clinging onto the ends of his long eyelashes. 

“But this time I get to see it with Guanlin-hyung!” Seonho jumps excitedly, hands squeezing Guanlin’s. 

“What makes it so different with me?” Guanlin mumbles, feeling a blush rise to his face. Sometimes the things Seonho says would make his heart flutter uselessly.

“Well, I've never met someone like you before Guanlin! Like, I can tell you anything, and it's just really comfortable to be around you. It feels like I’ve known you for forever!” Seonho is blinking really quickly as he blurts out the words, as if he’s afraid they’ll run away from him. 

“Is this a confession?” Guanlin laughs, but his heart is beating quickly. But Guanlin, instead of waiting for response from Seonho, starts to pull him down the street. A part of him wants to know what Seonho would have said, but the other was afraid for what he would get. Even so, Guanlin still grips Seonho’s hand in his as he leads them both. 

“Guanlin-hyung, where are we going?” Seonho calls. 

“Just trust me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapters! life's been a bit hectic :(


	6. Chapter 6

“Seonho, no!” Guanlin looks across the table with horror clear on his face. 

“Seonho, _yes!_ ” Seonho grins, eyes shining in a way that Guanlin knows can only mean trouble. 

The two of them were seated in a diner, called “A Starlight Night.” True to its name, the diner was space themed, with a dark ceiling that had a multitude of stars painted on. Dongho had mentioned that he worked there and had said that he can score a discount for Guanlin if he ever came. Guanlin, of course, had lept at the offer and planned on bringing Seonho for a kind of Christmas date. 

Now that he thought about it, could this be considered a date? 

Seonho hasn't let go of Guanlin’s hand ever since they left the bakery. Before they arrived at the diner, he was babbling about another story about how wonderfully fluffy the croissants Seonho’s been baking are. (Guanlin is pretty sure that Seonho eats at least half of the things he makes, so he isn’t sure how Seonho is still allowed at the bakery.) 

Right now, however, there was another, more immediate problem. In Guanlin’s mind, he was cursing Dongho-hyung with the name of every demon he can think of.

Guanlin had wanted to seem cool to Seonho, so he had told him that he would treat Seonho to dinner. It was almost worth it because of the way Seonho’s eyes lit up like a little kid during Christmas. The key word there is _almost_ , because Dongho hadn’t mentioned that this particular diner had one of these “challenges”. 

Moments before, the two of them got the menus from their waiter, another senior Guanlin recognized from school named Daniel. Guanlin was thinking of which pasta to get when Seonho slapped the menu hard in front of him and pointed at a particular section. 

“I want to do this,” he seriously announced. Guanlin felt his heart drop when he read the words in bold. 

“You’ll need the power of the stars to accomplish this challenge.” Guanlin is cringing already. “If you can eat this 70 oz. steak under one hour, you’ll win t-shirts and a picture on the hall of fame. If you cannot, you have to pay for it all.”

“Free t-shirts, Guanlin-hyung!” Seonho points at the menu again. “And the meal is free!”

“If you finish it. Seonho, I know that you can eat a lot, but an 80 oz. steak? That’s got to cost over $100 at least!” 

“Guanlinnie-hyuuunnnggg,” Seonho whined, jumping in his seat. This was really not the time to act like a stubborn child. The problem is that Guanlin knows if Daehwi did this, Guanlin would have no problems continuing to turn him down. But this was Seonho, who’s not only known for his clinginess but also his stubbornness. 

This is how they got to their current situation. 

“Seonho yes!” Seonho huffs, puffing out his cheeks. Guanlin facepalms and sighs in resignation. 

“Daniel-hyung?” Guanlin calls to the waiter. “This guy here wants to try out the steak eating challenge.  
\----  
“My tummy aches,” Seonho whines as the two of them step into Guanlin’s house. They take off their coats and shoes before entering the warm living room, and Seonho immediately crashes onto Guanlin’s couch.

“I told you that taking on that challenge was no good,” Guanlin shakes his head as he goes into the kitchen. “That was way too much food.”

“But look, I got us t-shirts!” Seonho holds up the t-shirt with the logo of the diner printed on it. “It’s like couple shirts!”

“Couple shirts?” Guanlin mutters to himself. “But we aren’t even a couple.”

“What did you say, hyung?” Seonho calls out from the living room. 

“I said that I found the medicine,” Guanlin grabs a bottle from the cabinet.

He steps back into the living room, where Seonho is attempting to pull the t-shirt over his sweater. Seonho wasn’t succeeding, judging by how Seonho had an arm through the neck hole. Guanlin watches Seonho struggle for a few seconds before helping him pull the shirt off. 

“Thanks, Guanlin-hyung!” Seonho smiled and takes the medicine Guanlin hands to him. His hair is all over the place, and Guanlin is reminded of a puppy. 

“Here's some water,” Guanlin passes a glass to Seonho. Seonho downs the cup in one gulp before taking a deep breath. 

“Um, hyung?” Seonho starts. 

“Yeah?” Guanlin raises and eyebrow. Seonho was acting strange. He looked almost...shy? What was this mood that was being created? 

“You know how you always take care of me?” Seonho starts, wringing his hands in his lap and looking everywhere except at Guanlin. “And how we became close really quickly?”

“Yeah…” Guanlin nods. Seonho is blushing a bright red. Guanlin almost doesn’t hear Seonho’s words over the sound of his beating heart. What was Seonho aiming to say? Why was the atmosphere turning really, really awkward in his house? 

“I had wanted to talk about this earlier,” Seonho continues nervously. “But then we went to the diner.”

“What did you want to talk about?” 

“Guanlin-hyung?” Seonho takes Guanlin’s hands into his and gets the courage to look up at him. “Are we…best friends?” 

“...Best friends?” Guanlin thinks he misheard Seonho.

“Like Jihoon-hyung and Jinyoung-hyung. They know everything about each other and they always have each other's back,” Seonho continues. “Though, maybe we can't be since we haven't known each other for as long as they have…”

“No, no, Seonho, I think we are best friends,” Guanlin squeezes Seonho’s hands, feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment. 

“Let's be best friends forever!” Seonho hugs Guanlin tightly, pressing his face into the crook of Guanlin’s shoulder. 

Did Guanlin just agree to get best-friendzoned?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update so you guys know I'm still alive! life has been hectic :((  
> a new arc is going to start with best friend byeongaris!  
> as always, comments make me happy~!


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